Taiwan and China held their first government-to-government talk on Tuesday since their split in 1949.

The meeting which was held in Nanjing, capital of east China’s Jinagsu Province, was graced by Zhang Zhijun, head of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office and Wang Yu-chi, Taiwan’s mainland affairs chief (who was on a four-day visit). According to Xinhua, China’s state news agency, the meeting where both parties agreed to open a regular channel of communication, ”breeds optimism.”

Wang described the meeting as ”an unimaginable occasion in earlier years.”

”Being able to sit down and talk is really valuable, considering that the two sides were once almost at war,” he said in his speech.

Zhang was quoted by Xinhua as saying, ”As chief officials on cross-Strait relations, we should talk more and understand each other better. I think people on both sides would welcome that.”

”The meeting itself is of more significance than what they had to say,” Liu said. ”In future meetings, they need to work on real issues and remove cross-Strait barriers.”

”Today’s cross-Strait situation has been hard-earned through the efforts of generations. We should cherish it and work together to maintain this favorable momentum,” he added. ”We should be determined to avoid any further fluctuations and setbacks.”